Trichotillomania is not just a bad habit, it's a mental health condition. It's not likely to get better without treatment.
Types of therapy that may be helpful for trichotillomania include: Habit reversal training. This behavior therapy is the main treatment for trichotillomania. You learn how to recognize situations where you're likely to pull out your hair and how to substitute other behaviors instead.
Permanent damage from Trichotillomania is a very real possibility for many who suffer from it. At Lucinda Ellery Consultancy we help manage most types of Trichotillomania; with perhaps one exception being very mild TTM when there is no visible hair loss from the hair pulling.
Yes it's possible, the follicles may not grow back exactly the same due to damage, but it will grow back to an extent. I was able to go almost a full year without pulling and my hair came back after ~6-9months but didn't reach complete fullness before I started pulling behaviors again.
Stress doesn't cause hair pulling. But stress can make it worse in people who have it. Be sure to eat foods that are good for you.
Children commonly pull their hair in this way, but that behavior is often a self-soothing act. Children often grow out of this behavior and don't have any long-term negative effects. Adolescents, teenagers and adults with this condition tend to have much more severe problems.
Don't say, “You need to learn to relax, and maybe the pulling will stop automatically.” Usually, this isn't true. My clients with trich have hairpulling on their mind constantly (which can be mentally exhausting) and have uncontrollable urges to pull.
Recently, a strong relationship of family chaos during childhood and trichotillomania has also been reported, in which 86% of women with trichotillomania reported a history of violence—for example, sexual assault or rape—concurrent with the onset of trichotillomania.
In addition to reducing the urge to pull, it is believed vitamin D supplementation significantly improved hair regrowth, which is often not seen after treatment with antidepressants or other medications alone. Studies have identified the use of vitamin D3 analogs to stimulate hair regrowth.
If trichotillomania is left untreated, hair pulling can cause permanent damage to your skin and hair follicles. If trichotillomania is associated with anxiety or another mental health issue, this can cause problems later in life.
SSRIs and clomipramine are considered first-line in TTM. In addition, family members of TTM patients are often affected by obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. Other drugs used in the treatment of TTM are lamotrigine, olanzapine, N-Acetylcysteine, inositol, and naltrexone.
Individuals may be misdiagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, or even drug addiction.
Trichotillomania is part of OCD and is thought to be largely related to anxiety disorders. There have been twin studies that have demonstrated genetic anomalies associated with trichotillomania and other OCD-related disorders.
In young children, treat trichotillomania as a short-term habit disorder by cutting the hair very short (like a crew cut in boys) and applying Vaseline to the hair. “They stop their habit right away because it's so slippery they can't pull,” Dr. Kwong said.
Adults with trichotillomania frequently report that their pulling worsens during periods of heightened anxiety [9]. Alternatively, hair pulling for many adults leads to avoidance of social activities and results in anxiety during intimate situations [6], [10], [11].
For some, trich can be highly disruptive in their lives. For others, they are able to find a place of acceptance and ways to manage their pulling. Some people seem to just be simply unbothered by it.
“Don't Look Up” actor Leonardo DiCaprio is believed to have trichotillomania due to openly sharing on multiple accounts of suffering from OCD. Leo has spoken about living with OCD throughout his childhood and adult life.
The good news is that trichotillomania hair loss typically isn't permanent, and there are plenty of ways to encourage new growth, from PRP therapy to topical medications.
Banana: The biotin and potassium content in a banana is known to promote thick and shiny hair. Lemon Juice: The Vitamin C present in lemon juice is known to increase iron absorption. It has a rich source of antioxidants, which keeps the scalp healthy. Papaya: Papaya is known for keeping hair shiny and smooth.
Despite its popularity in the media and amongst consumers, biotin has no proven efficacy in hair and nail growth of healthy individuals. Only 1 study has shown decreased levels of biotin in healthy individuals, though this data was confounded by multiple factors, including patient history.